The Only Exception
by theslytherinrose
Summary: Eurydice Malfoy visits her parents' room after a nightmare. AU. (Inspired by discussions with my friends SwordofSlytherin and justforpractice, who were curious what would've happened if Eurydice had lived. Lucius/Narcissa with past Narcissa/Augustus. AdoptiveDad!Lucius. May spawn a full AU at a later date.)


**A/N: Occasionally my friends plant ideas in my head that won't go away and writing them is the only way to get them out of my system. This is the result of one such situation. After speaking with SwordofSlytherin and justforpractice and spending way too much time contemplating what would've happened if Eurydice had survived, I was left with this (and a potential AU in the future). The title is from the Paramore song, which I don't own, like everything else here except Eurydice.**

* * *

The warmth of Lucius's embrace and the comforting stillness of the room around her had very nearly lulled Narcissa into sleep when she heard a soft knock at the bedroom door followed immediately by the click of the doorknob. She opened her eyes a crack to see a shadow standing on the threshold.

"Mummy? Daddy?"

"What is it, love?" Narcissa lifted her head for a better look at her four-year-old daughter, who stood barefoot in her nightgown, clutching a stuffed unicorn by its tiny leg. Lucius stirred, yawning as he sat up beside Narcissa.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I had a bad dream," said the girl. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Of course you can. Come here." Narcissa held out her hand over the side of the bed, and the girl closed the door behind her before scurrying over to take her mother's hand. Narcissa lifted her onto the bed, and the girl climbed over her to settle between her and Lucius, who adjusted the blankets to cover each of them.

Narcissa watched the two beside her closely. Eurydice bore her mother's eyes, but her long, dark hair marked her as different. It was a genetic impossibility for Narcissa and Lucius to have produced a brunette child, and at times, Narcissa still feared this knowledge would become too much for her husband to bear. She kept her eyes on him as he lay back down with a smile and watched Eurydice curl up under his arm before glancing up at Narcissa, his smile still in place. She returned the expression, the moment of unwelcome tension that had flashed through her mind gone as quickly as it had come. _I'm being ridiculous_ , she thought. _He loves her. And he always will._ Lucius had adopted Eurydice immediately upon her birth, making her a Malfoy no matter what her hair said to the contrary, and anyone who'd known of Narcissa's relationship with Augustus Rookwood before her marriage to Lucius knew better than to mention it or question Eurydice's parentage, lest they draw a particularly-nasty curse or two in their direction.

Narcissa lay down once again, draping her arm around her daughter and laying her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Do you think it's time?" she asked quietly.

Lucius nodded, leaning forward to kiss her fingers where they rested before looking to Eurydice.

"We have some news for you, little one," he said. "Perhaps it will make you feel better."

"What is it?" Eurydice asked, twisting around to look at him with wide eyes. Lucius glanced to Narcissa, who nodded in encouragement.

"You're going to be a big sister," he said, smiling.

The girl's eyes lit up, and she looked from Lucius to Narcissa and back with wild excitement plain on her small features.

"I am?"

"Yes, dear," said Narcissa with a soft laugh before leaning close to kiss Eurydice's cheek.

"Will I have a brother or a sister?" Eurydice asked, still glancing between her parents as though unsure which held the answer.

"It's too early to know," said Narcissa, "but we thought you'd be happy either way."

"I will! That's the best news ever!"

Lucius chuckled. "Good, we're glad you think so. Now get some rest, all right? Then maybe tomorrow we can go shopping for things for the baby."

Eurydice nodded, leaning up to kiss his cheek and then Narcissa's before settling down between them and closing her eyes, a smile still set on her lips. Narcissa gave Lucius's shoulder a squeeze, and he smiled at her.

"I love you," he said quietly. "Both of you."

Narcissa couldn't stop herself from grinning. She'd never anticipated being this lucky, and she counted moments like these as indescribable blessings. "I love you, too," she said.


End file.
